No Tags is a podcast and newsletter about underground music culture hosted by Chal Ravens and Tom Lea.

Following the original ‘Conversations on underground music culture’ book in 2024, Volume 2 collects the best interviews and discussions from No Tags' second year along with five new pieces exclusive to the book.

Featuring: Paul Woolford, Liz Pelly, Emma Garland, the perfect night out, Field Maneuvers, umru, Derrick Gee, Grace Sands, aya, the zombie internet, Yu Su, the AI slopwave, Shaad D’Souza, Big Beat Cinema, Holly Dicker, boycotts for Palestine, Dan Hancox, the new UK rap underground, Jeff Weiss, erotic trip-hop, Nono Gigsta, Mattie Colquhoun, Henry Bruce-Jones, Finn McCorry and watching DJ AG.

For more on No Tags, head to https://notagspodcast.substack.com/

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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
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No Tags is a podcast and newsletter about underground music culture hosted by Chal Ravens and Tom Lea.

Following the original ‘Conversations on underground music culture’ book in 2024, Volume 2 collects the best interviews and discussions from No Tags' second year along with five new pieces exclusive to the book.

Featuring: Paul Woolford, Liz Pelly, Emma Garland, the perfect night out, Field Maneuvers, umru, Derrick Gee, Grace Sands, aya, the zombie internet, Yu Su, the AI slopwave, Shaad D’Souza, Big Beat Cinema, Holly Dicker, boycotts for Palestine, Dan Hancox, the new UK rap underground, Jeff Weiss, erotic trip-hop, Nono Gigsta, Mattie Colquhoun, Henry Bruce-Jones, Finn McCorry and watching DJ AG.

For more on No Tags, head to https://notagspodcast.substack.com/

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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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Hailing from Raw Culture, Anna Funk Damage returns with his third release on the Roman label, delivering a record as fierce as it is intimate. Tarantola was born out of a winter suspended between contrasting emotions – melancholy, anger, love, confusion – distilled into a sound that transforms personal fragility into collective energy. There’s no pursuit of perfection here, but rather an urgency running through the veins, taking shape across supersonic punk, wave, ambient and industrial.

Each track is an emotional fragment, a bite that leaves its mark: from the electric tension of Vivere Distaccati to the feverish rush of Trasmissione, from the rawness of Decadente to the hypnotic title track Tarantola, which embodies the beating heart of the album. Side B unfolds into more nocturnal and intimate landscapes, from Chiang Mai to the disenchanted sincerity of Lavoro Troppo, closing with a party that carries the bittersweet taste of reality.

Tarantola is a journey into the chaos of human emotions, an album that doesn’t just narrate but pulls you deep into its sonic labyrinth, giving noise back its vulnerable yet powerful soul.

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mid-’70s Lee Perry/ Black Ark Dubplate


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A stunning re-envisaging of Sade ‘Cherish The Day’ in a upfront reggae style from singer Sailor Jane. It is produced by the great Michael Goldwasser. A side mixed by the maestro mixer Gregory Morris, the B side features a magnificent dub piece from Jallanzo The Dub Wizard.

The release comes on a criss 7inch housed in a beautiful picture sleeve designed by Madein876 Productions / Streets of Jamaica & formatted by Classic Blends.

Sailor Jane is out of Florida but has spent a lot of time in Jamaica honing her skills as a singer and musician. This track is taken from her album of Sade covers which is certainly worth checking out called No Ordinary Dub.

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Repress!

Barrington Levy's 3rd LP for Jah Life, another killer selection from the fruitful works of the Wright/Lawes/Levy axis. From the golden era of the Radics at Channel 1, mixed by Scientist at Tubby's, 10 tracks, great all the way thru. Finally available again, this was only repressed once before in the late 1990's, other than its original release in the early '80s. Featuring iconic cover art by the late NYC legend Jamaal Pete and pressed from the original mothers, identical to the original press.

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Repress coming end of April!

Japanese artists Yumiko Morioka and Takashi Kokubo unite for Gaiaphilia, a journey through ambient soundscapes that seamlessly blends Morioka’s graceful piano compositions with Kokubo’s immersive field recordings and atmospheric synthesisers.

This collaboration brings together two of Japan’s most influential pioneers in ambient and new age music, each with decades of groundbreaking work. Morioka, celebrated for her 1987 album Resonance—reissued to critical acclaim by Métron Records—infuses her introspective playing with Kokubo’s vivid environmental textures, creating a dialogue between nature and melody.

After releasing Resonance, Morioka stepped away from music, moving to America to raise her family. For years, her work was quietly cherished by fans, only gaining wider recognition with its reissue in 2020. A devastating wildfire destroyed her California home seven years ago, prompting her return to Tokyo where she became a chocolatier before rediscovering her passion for the piano in recent years, playing live shows and making new recordings.

Takashi Kokubo’s legendary discography spans over 30 years, and has found wider acclaim in recent years via YouTube algorithms and bootleg uploads, wracking up tens of millions of plays. Yet he is probably best known for his sound design work, specifically the Japanese earthquake alert sound as well as credit card payment jingles - his creations are pervasive in Japanese society.

“From our love and concern for our planet, we both offer a unique sensibility and spirit of inquiry which we express through our music.”

Rooted in shared philosophical interests, Gaiaphilia reflects a profound reverence for nature’s resilience and harmony. Themes of Gaia, Mother Earth’s renewal, and the interconnectedness of life are central, with inspirations drawn from cosmology, sacred geometry, and Japan’s mystical Katakamuna tradition. The album invites listeners into a meditative space where sound mirrors the delicate balance of the natural world.

A master of sound design, Kokubo enhances this vision with his distinctive field recordings, captured using a self-made binaural microphone shaped like a crash test dummy’s head. From the jungles of Borneo to the gentle rhythm of ocean waves, Kokubo’s globe-spanning recordings transform into immersive soundscapes that perfectly complement Morioka’s introspective piano compositions.

“The title, Gaiaphilia, is a newly created word to encompass our love and respect for nature and life, this feeling is the theme we hoped to express.”

Released on Métron Records on 12/03/25 and with artwork from Ventral Is Golden, Gaiaphilia marks a remarkable new chapter for Morioka and Kokubo. Recorded at Kokubo’s log house studio named Studio Ion in Yamanashi, their collaboration offers listeners a deeply emotional and transcendent experience, rooted in the timeless beauty of Japan’s natural landscapes.

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Repress!

Pacific Rhythm is elated to present a grounding offering from Oakland's Space Ghost entitled Private Paradise as our first release of 2022. The LP is an ode to Space Ghost's time spent at Sea Ranch on the Northern California coast, a place he and his partner visit to refresh their spirit and regain optimism and enthusiasm for the outside world.

Private Paradise possesses a rare ability to restore, rejuvenate, and inspire through each listen and is something we've only grown more and more fond of during the unforeseen complications we encountered during its release over the past two years. It's a piece of music that feels like a perfect nod to where we've been musically for the past 8 years and where we see ourselves heading in the future. Deep, contemplative, and uplifting audio that compels its listeners to focus on the positive forces in the world and the power of being present in a moment.

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Renowned producer and DJ Yuri Suzuki is back with a bang, releasing his latest record titled "Border" via the iconic Detroit Underground label. This new release features eight electrifying acid tracks that blend the infectious grooves of jacking house and the driving energy of techno.

Yuri Suzuki has been a pivotal figure in the electronic music scene, known for his unique sound and innovative production techniques. With "Border," he takes listeners on a journey through the pulsating heart of the underground music culture. Each track showcases his knack for crafting infectious rhythms and hypnotic melodies, making this vinyl a must-have for any serious collector or DJ looking to elevate their set.

The tracks on "Border" are a perfect representation of the classic acid sounds that have been making a resurgence in recent years. From the moment the needle hits the vinyl, listeners are transported to a world where the dance floor is king, and the beats are relentless. Yuri's signature style shines through, combining crisp percussion, gritty basslines, and infectious samples that create an irresistible urge to move.

“Most of these tracks were produced in the 90s, in my small room at my parents' apartment in Tokyo. At the time, I hadn't experienced a real rave, and my exposure to the culture was limited to the information I could find on the early internet. As a result, the music I created was inspired by an imagined rave scene, capturing the essence of something both distant and exciting.” - Yuri Suzuki

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Contact: [email protected]More

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More